Into the Deep
by Coneflower Adams
Summary: When Tamora doesn't show up one evening after the all clear, Felix finds his wife has gone missing.
1. Chapter 1

Felix frowned at the giant circle clock on the other side of the station. Tamora was late. From time to time, it happened, but she'd consistently sent one of her men to inform him of her delay. This time, there was no word.

Felix decided to wait longer. Maybe a situation had popped up and all personnel were needed. So, the handyman waited…and waited…until the clock struck two hours past closing time.

He ventured into the high-tech game, careful as always, only to find it as peaceful as _Hero's Duty_ could get. He trekked to Tamora's quarters, greeting any soldiers he passed. He was on fairly good terms with most of his wife's men. Only a few thought him a bit of a joke, but they learned early on to keep their yaps zipped tight or the sergeant would place them on perimeter duty for an entire month.

Alarmed at discovering her quarters empty, Felix searched out Tamora's second in command – Corporal Kohut – finding the dedicated soldier patrolling.

"Hey, Fix-It," the taller man greeted fondly, "thought you and Sarge would be out and about game jumping."

"We would," Felix said, concern filling his voice, "if I could find her. She never exited _Hero's Duty_."

Kohut's relaxed stance straightened at the news. "Sarge left on her cruiser not long after the all clear, and I've walked every inch of the base without seeing her."

Felix's heart plummeted into his stomach as panic set in. Where could Tamora be?

* * *

"Let me out!" Tamora's screams echoed off the sharp, jagged rock walls and faded as it traveled through the tunnel above. Climbing the walls was impossible; she'd already tried. She was trapped, and the cy-brid that was once her fiancée wasn't about to let her go.

The tapping of clawed feet reverberated above her. Cy-Brad's distorted features peered over the edge of the hole, frowning down. "I wish I could, T.J.," he said, solemnly, "but how can I show my love for you if you go running back to that 8-bit?"

"Look, Brad, I'm sorry the creators of our game were major jackasses, but I can't be with you anymore, especially in cy-bug form." At that, Cy-Brad turned his face in shame. Tamora breathed in deep, knowing anything kind of reasoning wouldn't go over, but she had to at least try. "Felix is a good man. He takes care of me and loves me. I'm in good hands."

"I was a good man once."

"You were, and you still can be, Brad. Let me go."

Cy-Brad's pincers retracted in and out, a visible wall of resolve on his face. "But I need you, T.J."

"I belong to someone else now."

Cy-Brad held up a small golden object between his pincers, tiny flickers of light gleaming off it. Tamora gasped silently, holding up her left hand and finding her ring finger bare. How did he remove it? Or maybe it slipped off during their easier struggle when he deposited her into this hole in the ground. Either way, her wedding band was not where it should be and that agitated Tamora's already uneasy state of mind.

"I'm sorry, T.J., but not anymore," Cy-Brad huffed, rearing his pincer back.

"No!" Tamora cried as she watched the ring fly out of sight.

"Forgive me." Brad hung his head, and skittering from sight.

Tamora stared up, shocked at the events of the past hour. She'd spotted cy-bug activity in the distance as she jumped her cruiser to head out for the evening, and glided over to investigate. Before she could reach for her gun, the cy-bug had easily snatched her off the board from behind and zoomed away with her in its clutches. It wasn't until the buzzing virus landed that it was revealed to be Brad in his doomed cy-bug form.

Tamora's heart pounded like a sledgehammer. The long, hard beats made her stomach flip violently as she gaped at the ugly, twisted features of her former love. How he was alive; he didn't know. The events of his demise happened only in backstory, and the only scenario Tamora could assume was that Cy-Brad was a cruel joke of the designers.

She'd learned quickly that there was no reasoning with him. He knew her well, admitting to laying low and watching her from a distance for months upon months. His former intelligent was in tack and he seemed to have his human senses. But there was an unnerving twitch in his mannerisms, as if he were suppressing something in his mind and actions, which skyrocketed Tamora's fear of his unpredictability

He knew she wouldn't stay willingly; saying that her moving on was a shot in the heart. A flicker of acid green code overrode his wide eyes for a moment, and that's when Tamora ran. Running from a cy-bug was nearly impossible and he scooped her up easily, Tamora fighting to escape as he carried her deeper into his cavern.

Apologizing profusely, Cy-Brad set her in a hole in the ground and that's where Tamora stayed – trapped by the steep, jagged edges that narrowed in as the sides rose.

She attempted another climb, her boot slipping and hurtling Tamora to the ashy ground below. A growl vibrated her throat, ignoring the aching of her bruised tailbone. She jumped to her feet, an angry scream letting loose and ripping through cavern.

Felix was waiting for her, and would most likely venture into _Hero's Duty_ when she didn't show up. Her soldiers would search for her, but how long would that take for them to find her? _Hero's Duty_ had such a vast landscape. No telling where Cy-Brad had hidden her away.

From what Tamora could tell, he practiced solitude. They were underground, but there were also skylight-type holes through the ceiling of the cavern, the dim light of the surface filtering in and casting crude shapes on the floor.

She couldn't wait around like a helpless jellyfish washed up on the seashore. Tamora J. Calhoun was no damsel in distress. She would find a way to climb out of the makeshift prison. Whether she it left her bloody and bruised or died countless times trying, she wouldn't stop trying until she was home safe with her husband.


	2. Chapter 2

Kohut informed the patrol of the situation. The on-duty soldiers would search the perimeter of the base while Kohut and Felix took to the air in a shuttle to scout out the outer reigns. Only one soldier had spotted her on her cruiser, but it wasn't unusual to for Sarge to fly around and Green thought nothing of it.

Tamora was out there somewhere in Hero's Duty. The worst case scenarios plagued Felix has he and Kohut shot off into the barren terrain. What if Tamora was hurt badly enough to not be able to return back to base? He imagined her trapped hidden in a hole somewhere eluding a cy-bug attack. She only carried a small pistol on her belt and a knife strapped to her leg when wearing civvies. Not a very helpful arsenal of weapons when fighting an onslaught of cy-bugs.

Felix never doubted his wife's ability to take on whatever the program flung at her. Tamora wasn't just a tough cookie; she was one of those cookies you bit into and almost chip a tooth on. She had to be okay.

* * *

The skin on her hands was rubbing thin, and the ground was somehow growing harder every time she fell. Tamora growled, beyond frustrated that she couldn't make the climb. Cy-Brad must have created this prison especially for just this purpose.

She sat back against the rocky wall, carefully leaning her aching head back. Cy-Brad would return at any moment. He wanted her to be his again, to possibly start off where his terrible fate had left them. She could only speculate the plans he had in store for her. She shivered at the thought that he could somehow turn her into a cy-bug, and hoped that that notion was impossible to achieve.

Tamora's thumb brushed across her bare ring finger, a habit she'd acquired since her and Felix's wedding day. A tight knot clinched in her stomach at the feel of bare skin. Out of all her possessions that ring meant the most to her. It wasn't just a band of gold; it was the physical representation of her love and commitment to her husband and losing it burned her inside.

She breathed in deep, and pushed off the wall to stand. Gazing up at the impossible climb, she set her jaw in determination.

Securing her right foot on a jetted rock, she hoisted herself up, her fingers grasping the opening of a hole in the wall. She continued to climb this way until the wall began to curve in. This was the spot where she would fall. Either her foot or hand would slip, and down she'd go.

Holding on as well as her sore fingers could, her legs dangled for a moment before she found her footing again. Another few feet and she'd make it to the top. She carefully crawled along the jagged wall, the closest she'd made it to escaping so far. She gripped the rocks so hard her fingers were beginning to numb. Just one more hoist up and she'd-

A small yelp escaped her throat before she could stop herself from making anymore sounds. Her foot slipped and she was dangling in the air. If she tried to swing her legs to catch the wall, she'd surely slip off. At this far up, she would most likely die or injuried badly.

Tamora's breath hitched as her muscles began to spasm. She was too close to give up now! She had to fight through the pain.

She steeled herself as her right hand released the grip on wall. Her fingers caught the edge of the opening, and with ragged breath, her other hands caught the edge as well. Her whole body felt as if it weighted the same as Ralph's massive body, her booted feet like bricks pulling her down.

Her arm muscles screamed death as she strained over the last hurtle. Inch by inch she slithered until her waist was equal with the opening's edge. With one more pulled, her legs made it over the side and Tamora collapsed onto her back.

Stars streaked behind the lids of her eyes as she recovered from the exhausting task. Every part of her hurt like hell, but Tamora knew she had to make haste before the creature that was her former fiancée returned or the excruciating effort would be in vain.

She shakily pushed off the ground to her feet, and examined at her surroundings. The hole she'd been held in was in the middle of a three-way tunnel. Skylight openings in the ceiling were scattered down every hole, casting a greenish filter on the tunnels' floor.

Tamora had no idea if there was even a way to escape from the underground lair, but she'd search every crevice of the tunnels until she found a way out. Looking straight ahead, she decided to move forward down the pathway directing in front of her prison.

Attentive to her surroundings and the any noises that would alert her of Cy-Brad's return, Tamora ventured forward. She'd trekked several yards before a tiny glimmer underneath a skylight caught her eye. She knelt down, her finger scooping up the object and it slid down to rest on her finger's knuckle.

Tamora's breath caught, her heart kicking up in her chest. Sitting on her finger was a ring – her wedding ring. She quickly brushed off any dirt and restored it to its rightful place. Relieved tears pricked at the corner of her eyes as she looked at it, the pad of her thumb rubbing across it – the feel of it soothing.

The weight of her exhaustion seemed lighter now, and Tamora trudged on driven to find her way home.


	3. Chapter 3

The cavern's path curved every once and a while without any branch off tunnels. With a hand trailing along the tunnel wall, Tamora stepped as softly as she could along the dirt and ash floor, always alert to any sound of wings headed her direction. Her eyes had grown accustom to the darkness, but it was still nearly impossible to see anything besides shadowed shapes.

She not only worried about Cy-Brad finding her, but other cy-bugs as well. She wondered if the underground haven was Cy-Brad's alone. He was more than capable of warding off other cy-bugs for the territory.

The wall made an abrupt end as her fingers slid off into empty space. She blinked twice, making sure she was seeing correctly. The path she'd followed still led on while the empty space she found branched off.

Tamora peered down the tunnel, a glint of light catching her eyes. She moved closer to the light, her surroundings growing brighter from a rare skylight in the ceiling. A short distance ahead she squinted, not believing what she saw. It appeared to be the dissemble parts of an escape pod.

She drew closer to find all the parts were shaped into crude forms of furniture. A bed using an old evacuation slide as the mattress along with a chair made from the seat of the escape pod were the only two pieces she could decipher in the dim lighting.

The entire scene was eerily creepy, sending a cold shiver up her spine. Cy-Brad had placed in-depth thought into this setup, and Tamora knew exactly who it was meant for. Her heart pounded at the thought. She had to leave right away; had to escape this underground prison before she was lost in it forever!

Before she could turn and hightail it from the frightful scenario, a skittering of many feet echoed down through the passage. Tamora ducked behind the chair. She curled up in a ball and made herself as small as possible, willing the sound to pass by.

Hope deflated from her as the feet turned her way. So many scenarios flooded Tamora's mind of what the cy-brid would do if he found her there. His anger could toss her back into the pit. Maybe he'd plead his love now that she'd seen what he'd made for her. Or he'd feed her to another cy-bug to turn her into his mate – his equal forever. The last caused a shutter throughout Tamora's body.

Faint muttering echoed down the passageway as Cy-Brad approached, desperation filling his voice, "It has to be…has to be perfect. T.J. must see how much I need her. I need-" Cy-Brad moaned as if he were suddenly in pain. "Go away…GO AWAY!"

Tamora's heart leapt into her throat at his screamed words. Was another cy-bug present? She chanced a peek around the seat, keeping as low to the ground as possible. Cy-Brad held his distorted head with his front pincers, shaking vigorously.

"I am NOT one of you! I am NOT one of you!" He gripped his shiny black armored exoskeleton with one of his large pincers, roaring at the pain he induced on himself. "T.J. please help…" he begged.

Tamora's whole body seized up at his plea to her. Cy-Brad acted as if he was fighting an invisible demon, and the plea for her help caused Tamora's alarm to shoot up to the sky. He needed her to fight his battle, but Tamora's sympathy wasn't feeling compassion – not when she had been abducted against her will.

Wings fluttered awake, and Cy-Brad rushed back down the passageway. Tamora stayed in hiding until the beating wings were out of earshot. She slowly peeked over the seat, scanning the area as best she could and finding no sign of threat. She carefully left the safety of the hiding place, on edge at listening for Cy-Brad's return.

She was beginning to fear there was one way out of the cavern and that was through the sparsely scattered holes in the ceiling. She peered up at the skylight located above the crudely-crafted bedroom. The opening was small, but if she could somehow find a way to climb up there-

Tamora skimmed her hands along the rocky walls for a foothold, but there were none within reach. She continued to search when the toe of her boot kicked an object on the ground. She glanced down, squinting to see what the object was. It looked like a pipe from her standing position. She bent over to pick it up.

Tamora gasped. She'd stumbled upon a flashlight! She pointed it against her palm, clicking it on and the light beamed bright onto her hand. She was far from the base, but by now, there had to be a search party looking for her. Her plan was risky, but it was all she had.

Pointing the flashlight directly through the center of the skylight, Tamora began a series of Morris code. Her nerves caused her arms to tremble and her breath was ragged as she repeated her message for help. Cy-Brad could return at any moment. The precious window she was given was short, but she wouldn't stop flashing her need for aid until she had to.

* * *

Felix wrung his gloved hands, flicking his eyes out the window for any sign of his missing wife. It wasn't like Tamora to jet off without calling in with her second in command. He hoped all the worry was vain and that Tamora had gotten so caught up in whatever task drew her away that she'd forgotten to call in.

"I'm sure the Sarge is husslin' up a stray cy-bug or something. You know how T.J. is," Kohut's voice cut through the thick silence of the shuttle cab. Felix glanced up at the hulking man who flashed him a reassuring smile.

"I-I hope so, Kohut."

They'd cover most of the perimeter around the base; now moving into the outer limits. Tamora's caution for Felix's safety kept him inside the base's perimeter, but now he'd see for himself the barren land surrounding the only life existing in Hero's Duty.

"Look," Kohut said, and Felix followed in the direction the man pointed. In the distance, a beam of light blinked through the haze in the atmosphere. "Morris code," the soldier commented, continuing toward the light. "Old school communication."

Felix's heart leapt. "That has to be Tammy signaling!"

"S.O.S," Kohut interpreted the blinking message. He hovered the shuttle over the hole where the light shone from, opening the side panel for he and Felix to peer out.

"Tammy?" Felix called into the hole.

"Fix-It!" Tamora's strained voice answered back. "You need to get me out of here pronto!"

"On it, Sarge!" Kohut lowered a hook cable from within the shuttle. In no time, they pulled Tamora up and into the shuttle.

Felix wanted desperately to latch onto his wife and never let her go. She'd only been missing for a few hours, but the thought of something horrible happening to her had magnified his worry. As she climbed into the shuttle, he glanced over her, taking in the scrapes and bruises and dry blood on her body. Other than the minor injuries, she seemed, for the most part, unharmed.

Wrapping arms around her, Felix gently encircled Tamora's neck, sighing in relief that she was safe. "What happened to you, Tammy?"

Tamora pulled away. "I'll explain in a minute. Kohut, jet us out of here!"

Kohut saluted, circling the shuttle around to fly back to base. Tamora sat down in the passenger seat behind Kohut, Felix standing beside her.

"Tammy, are you okay?" he asked concerned, laying both hands on her dirt-stained pants, not wishing to let her go for a second.

She offered him a small smile. "I am now, but we're not in the clear yet."

"What do you mean by 'not in the clear'?" Kohut piped up. "Talk to me, Sarge."

Before she could explain, the shuttle tipped forward tossing Tamora and Felix into the back of the pilot seat and landing them on the floor. Kohut pulled the controls back to stop as he steadied the shuttle again.

"What the hell?" Kohut exclaimed.

Picking themselves off the floor, they found hovering in front of them a terrifying sight - a cy-brid with the head of a man and body of a cy-bug.

Tamora growled, "Brad."


End file.
